York Regional Police have charged a 55-year-old man in the death of an off-duty police officer, who was fatally struck by a dump truck last year.
Ricardo (Rick) Torchia, a 30-year-old Toronto police constable, was killed in the two-vehicle collision on Highway 7, east of Highway 50, in Vaughan on the afternoon of Aug. 2, 2011.
Police said the eastbound dump truck turned left into a private driveway in front of an eastbound motorcycle, resulting in a collision.
Torchia, who was operating the motorcycle, died at the scene.
Police said the suspect was in possession of a substance, believed to be marijuana, when he was arrested at YRP's 4 District headquarters in Vaughan on Wednesday.
Mississauga resident Jose Coutu is charged with criminal negligence causing death and possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Despite the arrest, police are still seeking information from the public.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the York Regional Police collision reconstruction unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7704 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
